Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Xenia woke and stayed still while she tried to work out what had pulled her from sleep. It was dark and…moonlight was shining in from the ceiling?
Then she remembered. Axton’s place. Axton’s bed. Axton’s big body curled around her.
She bit her lip. She’d had hot, sweaty sex with Axton Saros. Numerous times.
Then she realized what had woken her. He was moving and jerking in his sleep.
She turned over slowly, careful not to startle him. His eyes were closed, but every muscle in his body was stretched tight.
“No. No.” His voice was harsh, raw with pain.
“Axton?” She reached for him.
He moved fast, as fast as a fully-trained CenSec. He had her under him, her arms slammed above her head. His chest was heaving.
Fighting her training, Xenia followed her instincts and kept her body relaxed and loose.
He blinked. “Xenia?” A tortured whisper.
“It’s okay. You were having a nightmare.”
He cursed and yanked away from her. He set his feet on the floor and sat on the edge of the bed, head in his hands. “I could have hurt you.”
She snorted and kept her tone light. “Hardly. CenSec, remember?”
The line of his back was rigid. She knew that while the doctors might have healed his injuries, there were still other scars, under his skin, haunting him in the dark of night.
“I can still smell them. The ugly animal scent. Feel the sting of their blades, the wrench of my shoulder. Smell my own blood.”
She bit her lip. She wished she could go back and kill all the Rahl who’d hurt him. But all she could do now was listen.
“But that wasn’t the worst. They told me about the ruin going on around the planet, the women they’d abused and sent into slavery, the pieces of our history they’d destroyed. The worst was being helpless, unable to do a fucking thing about it.”
She knew words wouldn’t soothe the ragged pain. Instead, she did the only thing she could and pressed herself against his back, wrapping her arms around him.
Seconds later, he pulled her into his arms. He lay back on the bed, holding onto her tightly. If she hadn’t been a cyborg, she would’ve been in pain. She pressed her cheek to his chest and held on.
He buried his face against her neck and breathed deeply.
Something inside her chest fluttered. He was battling his demons alone, too proud to ask anyone for help. Too noble to accept that it wasn’t his fault.
Sometime later, he finally relaxed and drifted off to sleep. In her arms, leaning on her.
She pressed a palm over his beating heart and let sleep claim her.
Axton set the fresh, red zhoma-berries in a bowl on the bench, then poured bright-orange gala juice into a long, slim glass. On the stove, eggs were sizzling.
He could have just ordered up what he’d wanted on the food printer, but he’d wanted to cook.
“You made me breakfast?”
He looked up. He’d never seen anything better than Xenia wrapped in the blue silk robe he’d picked for her.
She looked a little rumpled, her eyes still sleepy and all that gorgeous, red hair framing her face.
Hair he’d taken great pleasure in seeing spill across his chest and even more pleasure in wrapping it around his hand as he’d taken her from behind.
She’d soaked in every pleasure he’d given her, and given back more than he’d dreamed possible.
She’d held him in his darkest moment, and hadn’t asked questions or offered platitudes.
He wanted to keep her.
Taking a deep breath, he approached her. He couldn’t tip her off. Not yet. Or she’d run and hide behind her perfect CenSec persona.
No, he had to woo her. Gently. Sneak through the defense array and insinuate himself so deeply she couldn’t get him out.
He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “You sound surprised.”
“I usually just eat a nutribar or take a nutrient pill.”
He shuddered and pulled her over to the stove. “They might be packed with everything we need to survive, but they taste like cardboard. I promise, you’ll love the taste of my scrambled eggs.”
He gripped her waist and lifted her onto the marble bench. She rearranged the robe, but it still left a lot of leg bare for him to admire.
“I see you found the robe I left for you.”
“Yes.” She fingered the silk. “Do you have a lot of these lying around for…lady friends?”
Her voice was even, composed, but even after such a short time, he was learning to read his CenSec. He nudged her thighs apart and tugged her closer. Her body was stiff.
He tipped her chin up. “I have a goods printer. I wanted something you’d enjoy feeling on your skin. And I wanted it to match your eyes.”
She softened against him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. “It feels decadent. So soft.” She rubbed her nose against his. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He reached around to the bowl and nabbed a bright-red berry. He held it to her lips. “Here.”
Her neat white teeth bit into the flesh. He watched her eyelids flutter.
He smiled. He loved watching her reactions. Her enjoyment of simple pleasure. “Good?”
She licked her lips. “Very good. What are they?”
Blood rushed south and he smothered a groan. “Zhoma-berries. A delicacy from the planet Souk. They taste so good I grow some hydroponically.”
“More,” she said.
Feeding her the berries, watching her reaction, listening to her tiny sounds of pleasure, made his blood thicken.
“Hmm, so good.” She licked the berry juice off his fingers. “I think if you wanted to bribe me, zhoma-berries would do it.”
He just stood there, staring at her red-stained lips.
She smiled. “I think your eggs are burning.”
“Shit.” He pulled away and saved the eggs from fiery destruction. As he slid them out of the pan and onto plates, he felt her watching him.
“You’re pretty domesticated. I envisioned the Prime having a house full of staff or at least some syndroids. I never pictured you cooking.”
“I have a syndroid for cleaning and a few people who come in twice a week. But I like to cook when I have time. My mother is a food engineer. She specializes in cloned food for starship travel, but she also believes in cooking. She taught me.”
“I’ve never seen Xander cook.”
A small pain throbbed in Axton’s chest. “Xander left for Centax Security very young.” Axton had missed his brother growing up, but they’d come a long way to forging a strong relationship as adults. “Did anyone teach you to cook?”
She raised an eyebrow. “They trained me to kill, fight, and strategize.”
And how to smother her emotions. Axton sometimes worried what his planet had lost in their drive to be stronger, faster, and smarter.
“Time for you to taste my eggs.”
They ate where they were, Axton standing, nestled between her legs. She enjoyed all the tastes and he enjoyed watching her.
She took a sip of her drink. “I want to taste something else.”
“What?”
“You.”
With a growl, he gripped the back of her head and pulled her mouth to his. The kiss was long and lazy.
Then she pulled back. “That’s not what I meant.” Her hands drifted down to the waistband of his black sleep trousers.
Desire was a firestorm in his blood. His cock turned hard as space rock in a flash.
When she slipped off the counter and dropped slowly to her knees, he swore under his breath. “Xenia.”
She tugged his trousers down and his cock sprang out. With a humming sound, she circled her hands around his thick length.
Axton gripped the bench, his hands clenching on it.
“I’ve never done this before,” she whispered. “Tell me if I do something wrong.”
She flicked her tongue against the end of his cock.
“Shit.” He fought not to tangle his hands in her hair.
She made a little humming noise. “Salty.”
Taking him into her mouth, her tongue circled around the head. Whenever he made a noise of pleasure, she gave that spot extra attention.
She pulled back. “Help me. Tell me what to do.”
Damn, his knees were weak. “Take more into your mouth.” Creator, his words were so hoarse they were barely understandable.
She followed the instruction. Her hands gripped his thighs, and he felt the bite of her nails.
“That’s it, baby.”
She found a rhythm, moving up and down, taking about half of him. When she looked up at him, the sight of her mouth stretched around his cock, her eyes glittering and her cheeks flushed, made him even harder.
He saw her eyes widen.
“Relax, you can take me.” He gently cupped the back of her head. “You look so incredibly hot. Now, I want you to relax your throat. I’m going to go deeper. Can you take more of me?”
She managed a tiny nod. She pulled back until just the head of his cock rested on her lips. Then she swallowed him down. When he hit the back of her throat, she moaned.
“Swallow. That’s it.” He kept his voice gentle.
As she tightened her lips on him, her tongue driving him crazy, he felt his release coming, electricity sizzling along his spine.
But right now, as much as he was enjoying her mouth, he wanted to come inside her.
“Xenia.” He pulled out of her mouth, gripped her under her arms and pulled her up.
“I was enjoying myself,” she protested.
He set her back on the bench, his hands tearing at the robe until he pulled it open. “Need to be inside you.” He gripped her ass and yanked her to the very edge of the bench. A second later, he plunged to the hilt inside of her.
Xenia cried out, her head dropping back. Axton filled her up, stretching her to a point of painful pleasure.
“Do you know how beautiful you look? Spread out, just for me.”
He growled the words, and she opened her eyes. His handsome face was covered in a light sheen of perspiration. His big body moved in and out of hers, his muscles straining.
“Look, Xenia. See where we’re joined together.”
She looked down, saw the thick length of him parting her folds, sliding into her. Her breath caught, her entire body thrumming with the need to come.
“You’re so tight. But you fit me perfectly.” He started thrusting into her and his eyes never left hers. “My perfect fit.”
Her heart clenched. This was supposed to be sex and pleasure. Nothing else. So why did she feel like this connection was deeper, stronger? She felt it all the way to her bones.
“I’m going to come, baby.” His fingers dug into her skin. Then one of his hands dropped between them.
She felt him stroke where his cock stretched her, then he found her clit. He flicked it, and everything inside her clenched hard. She cried out.
“Go over, Xenia. Just let go.”
She had no choice. His steady thrusts, the pressure of his fingers, it was too much. Her release hit her like a supernova, and she screamed his name.
Seconds later, he drove into her and held himself there as his back bowed. He shot his release into her, groaning her name.
Wrecked. Xenia wasn’t sure she could hold her head up.
But then Axton was pulling her into his arms. They didn’t go far. He collapsed onto the kitchen floor and tugged her close to his side. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
She floated, enjoying the languorous sensations in her body. It was so good to just be herself, to not block the emotions.
Then a message appeared in the overlay in her right eye. Xander wanted to initiate contact.
She sat up fast and scrambled to tug the robe around herself. “Xander’s calling.” She touched her implant. “Xander?”
“Good morning, Xenia. I wanted to check in on the retrieval of the Codex.”
Axton moved, curling around her to press a kiss to her lower back. Damn the man and his clever lips. “Actually, I’m at Ax…Prime Saros’ residence now to examine the map we discovered on the Rahl Sync.”
“Good. The team finished searching the warehouse you and Axton set alight,” Xander said.
Axton’s sinful lips were traveling upward along her spine. She shivered and tried hard to keep her focus on the conversation. “Technically it was the—” Axton’s mouth moved to the side, finding the underside of her breast “—Rahl.” The last word came out as a squeak.
“Xenia? Are you okay?” Xander asked.
I’m not cool and emotionless. I slept with your brother, the planet’s leader. Well, actually we didn’t sleep. We had wild, wicked sex all night long. “Fine.”
“The team recovered some artifacts from private collections, but there was no sign of the Codex. Keep searching and keep me informed.”
Axton was nipping at her shoulder now. She tried to push him away, but he wasn’t budging. “Yes, sir.” Her voice was breathy now.
“Are you sure you didn’t sustain any damage yesterday?” Xander asked.
“I’m fine. I’ve never been better.”
There was silence for a moment. “Okay, keep me informed. And Xenia?”
Axton lifted his head, giving her a roguish smile. He was so incredibly attractive.
Xander. She was talking with Xander. “Yes, Xander?”
“Try not to lead the Prime astray.”
She choked. “Sir?”
“Into anymore booby traps or explosions.”
She relaxed. “Yes. Of course.”
Xander ended the transmission.
She shoved her hands against Axton’s chest, pushing him onto his back. She leaned over him. “That was very bad behavior.”
He smiled. “I know.”
She shook her head. “We need to take a look at that Sync.”
He gave a gusty sigh. “Back to business, huh?”
She leaned down and nipped his lip. “For now.”
But Xenia knew she had to have him again. It could only end in heartbreak for her…but he was in her blood now and she needed more. Was greedy to store up as many memories as she could.